Our team at LetUsFund.com participated as volunteers in the International Coastal Cleanup Day celebration held last September 16, 2017 at the Manila Bay, Philippines. We were part of thousands who came to collect garbage along the coast. More importantly, we were also part of this worldwide mission and the millions of participants in different countries who came together to help protect our waters and show the world how important it is.

Collection of Trash and a Global Record

Every year, all the volunteers take note of the types of trash collected. These are tallied to come up with a global record that could give us information on the top items that harm the world’s bodies of water.

In 2016, the top on the list was cigarette butts, amounting to 1,863,838 pieces. Plastic beverage bottles came in second at 1,578,834. The third was plastic bottle caps, with a collection of 822,227. Apart from these, the others in the top ten included food wrappers, plastic grocery bags, plastic lids, straws and stirrers, glass beverage bottles, foam takeaway containers, and other plastic bags.

What is this information telling us?

People are responsible for trashing the oceans, bays, lakes, and rivers that supply us with water we use every day. So many individuals go through their daily routines throwing garbage in the water without much thought to the consequences.

Such plastics and other garbage are being ingested by our flora and fauna in the waters. We eat fish that eat our trash. We swim in oceans that carry our trash. The pollution is greatly damaging our ecosystems and also hurting our health and wellness.

What will happen to us if all the bodies of water surrounding us are already covered with our garbage? It’s scary to think of the adverse effects.

Why Oceans Should Be Protected

Oceans make up three-quarters of Planet Earth. It’s not just the lifeblood of the planet, but also of humankind. And because everything is interconnected, we get to somehow breathe, eat, and drink the pollution coming from the oceans.

By destroying the ecosystems that depend on the oceans, we are also risking our own survival. It’s not just about marine life, but all forms of life on Earth will also be affected.

Do you know that so many businesses today depend on the oceans? A lot of resources come from these natural wonders. Plenty of products are transported through these bodies of water too. As we are slowly killing the oceans with our garbage, we’re also contributing to the detriment of our world economies.

How We Ought to Help

There are so many reasons why we should all work toward the protection of the world’s waters. So it’s important to start now. Through simple things like picking up trash along the beach and making the effort to dispose of your own garbage properly, every person can help protect our oceans and other waterways.

Make every single day a celebration of International Coastal Cleanup Day.